Faith at Heart
by Krystiana
Summary: Sequel to "The Coven Saga." Brooklyn is losing faith, and Alex has an interesting way of getting it back...


Faith at Heart  
by Krystiana {kebrann@bgnet.bgsu.edu}  
---------------------------------------  
I don't own Gargoyles. Big surprise, hmm?  
  
This would most likely be rated 'R,' by some adults, due to language content and real   
situations.   
  
I kinda suggest you read a few other fanfics by me before you read this one. You don't   
absolutely HAVE to, but there will be a few scenes that you won't understand because of past   
fanfics. Here they are -   
  
Music Says It All  
To Live Again, Parts I and II  
Echoes of the Future  
The Gate  
Soul Mates, Parts I and II  
The Coven Saga, Part I: The Awakening  
The Coven Saga, Part II: The Struggle  
The Coven Saga, Part III: The Fury  
  
Okay, so if you haven't read them, go read them now. Then come back here. :)  
  
Are you still here? That means ya read those already, right? Good.   
  
Cassie Xanatos, Faye Jackson, Sasha (no last name given), and Olivia Smith all belong to me.   
Cassie and Faye and a bit of Sasha ARE me. At least, they are who I am who I want to be. I   
look like Sasha (kinda, but she's based on someone else, but ya gotta figure that out), I do the   
same stuff as Faye, and I have the same hobbies as Cassie. Oh, figure it all out later. You must   
start reading... it's kinda long!  
  
****  
  
For Stickman, Ebony, and Krissie, for being some of the first people who were nice to me and   
are still here. In other words, thanks for not dissappearing on me!!   
  
****  
  
_____________________________  
  
Whatever the cause, it should not have ended this way.   
But it was done, and she couldn't turn back.  
Was she sorry it had been done? She didn't know.   
As the wind picked up, Elisa whispered one thing.  
"Always have faith."  
  
* * *  
  
TWO MONTHS EARLIER  
Brooklyn yawned as the man's throat was slit. The blood was pouring down, and   
Brooklyn was ready for a good nap.  
"How typical," Xanatos stated as the killer sneaked up behind the girl.   
Brooklyn glanced at Xanatos with laughing eyes, but didn't say anything.   
"Actually, I think the characters are nicely portrayed," Broadway said. Brooklyn stared   
at his rookery brother like he had two heads.  
"This is horror movie making fun of other horror movies," Brooklyn said. "How can any   
of the characters be `nicely portrayed?'"  
Broadway smiled and turned his head back toward the television.   
"What a combination," Brooklyn muttered. "Horrors, detectives, and westerns."  
"So I have great taste in movies," Broadway said. "So what do you want to do about it?"  
"Stick my head in a toilet and flush it many more times than once."  
Xanatos laughed at that one.  
"Look, buddy," Brooklyn started, "`Scream' is not a cultural horror film. If you want   
good, clean horror, watch `The Evil Dead,' `Army of Darkness,' or `The Lost Boys.'"  
"CLEAN horror?"   
"Or `The Rocky Horror Picture Show,'" Xanatos said. "Just don't forget the toast."  
"Toast?"   
"And make sure it's toasted enough." Broadway gave another lost look at Xanatos.  
Brooklyn laughed. They were definitely confusing Broadway. "Tell you what, I'll go get   
`The Lost Boys,' and you go get popcorn."  
Broadway sighed and got up. "Can't mess with logic like that."  
"Nope, you can't." Brooklyn scooted over to the video cabinet and pulled out the 80's   
vampire film.  
Brooklyn slipped the video into the VCR and set it up to the movie. Broadway promptly   
came back with buttered popcorn.  
"Just in time."  
  
* * *  
  
Puck watched the two gargoyles argue over the horror movies, smiling. Beside him   
Alex cooed and laughed, gurgling.   
"Shush," Puck said to Alex. "Don't let them know we're here. You've got another lesson   
coming up. Transformation 101."  
Alex pointed at the gargoyles below them. Puck shook his head. "No, we won't use   
them. Goliath lost his temper last time I did that," he added.  
Alex waved his hands around and tweaked Puck's nose.  
  
* * *  
  
"I'm not a vampire, Sam!"  
"Then what are you? Some flying nun?"   
Broadway almost spit out his popcorn laughing. Brooklyn glanced at him.  
"I'd just _love_ to see popcorn come out of your nose," Brooklyn said.   
Broadway smiled at his brother, forgetting their earlier discussion about "Scream."  
Brooklyn grinned, glad that Broadway was getting a movie in his brain other than the   
cheap old westerns and detective movies.   
Angela walked in and saw Broadway and Brooklyn. "Come here Angie," Broadway said.   
A brief look of annoyance crossed Angela's face. She growled. "DON'T CALL-"  
"La," Brooklyn quickly added, glancing at his brother with a look that said "I'm not always   
going to save your butt, so be careful!" Broadway shot his own look back that clearly said "shut   
up before I pop you."  
Angela rolled her eyes and walked over to Broadway. She knelt beside his chair and   
began whispering in his ear. Broadway grinned.  
Brooklyn got the point. Without saying anything, he walked out.   
  
* * *  
  
Brooklyn sighed and silently shut the door. The infamous Trio was officially gone. Angela   
had ruined everything. He loved her and everything, but it was when she showed up that he   
and his brothers had broken apart.   
Broadway obviously had Angela. He remembered that first night he had seen them   
kissing in the Library. He honestly felt like crying that night. But Brooklyn didn't cry. He hadn't   
since he was hatchling, not even when the Elder that he was closest to passed on. It was like   
he had run out of tears to shed.   
But Broadway had Angela. Lex had Alex. True, Lex didn't have a girl, but he was still   
there. He had something. More than he had.   
Was he acting selfish? He had run this thought through his head a million times, and   
he still wasn't sure. He had the position of second-in-command, which he loved, but he wanted   
more. He didn't want to act spoiled by making a big hissy-fit over Angela.   
And what about Xanatos's kid sister, Cassie? Even she seemed to be leaning towards   
Lex instead of him. It was true, he didn't like her as much as he had Maggie or Angela, but she   
_was_ something. Especially for a human.   
Brooklyn sighed again. He _was_ being selfish. Lex deserved her, not him.   
He suddenly laughed. Boy, he was depressing. But when your self-pity and your pride   
were battling each other, there wasn't much else to turn to.   
He suddenly wondered if there was anyone out there for him. Maybe the red gargoyle   
would be alone all his life...  
The way things were going, it looked that way.  
He looked up at a clock. Still hours until sunrise. It was going to be one of those nights.  
"One of what nights?"   
Brooklyn quickly looked up. He hadn't realized he had spoken out loud. "Hey, Cassie!" he   
said as cheerfully as he could manage.  
"Sup, Red?" she asked, setting down her duffel bag. Brooklyn eyed it warily. Cassie   
noticed this.  
"Didn't Davey-boy tell you I'm staying for a few nights?" she asked. Brooklyn shook his   
head in silence.  
"Man, Red. You're really stoned."  
"Huh?!" Brooklyn gaped at her.  
She laughed. "Just wanted to see if you were paying attention."  
Brooklyn simply shook his head and picked up her duffel bag. "I'll take this to your   
room," he said. As he heaved it onto his shoulder, a book fell out and landed on a marked   
page.  
He picked it up. Glancing at Cassie, who smiled that said it was okay.  
  
"Work while you work,  
Play while you play;  
One thing each time,  
That is the way.  
All that you do,  
Do with your might  
Things done by halves  
Are not done right."  
  
Brooklyn blinked. "Why do you have this?" he asked her.  
Cassie smiled. "I always used to do my homework while talking on the phone or sitting   
in front of the tube, and it didn't turn out right. My teacher gave me that to read, and it really   
helped."  
"Work?" Brooklyn's eyes widened. "Oh, shit!" he yelled. "I was supposed to go on patrol   
an hour ago!" He ran into Cassie's room and dropped her stuff on the bed, and then literally   
flew out the window.  
Cassie still stood in the hallway and blinked. "Hmm," she muttered, ran a hand through   
her brown hair, then walked into her room.  
  
* * *  
  
Brooklyn sighed as he dragged the two unconscious robbers to the edge of the alley.   
He was silently wishing that Cassie was there with him. He didn't know why.   
A high-pitched scream reached his ears. He turned, expecting another robbery in   
progress, than realized the screams were directed at him.   
Four teenagers, two girls and two guys, had spotted him. One of the boys picked up a   
rock and threw it hard at Brooklyn.  
Brooklyn had to duck as the stone whizzed over his head. Suddenly, all four of the   
teenagers were throwing stuff at him. Brooklyn managed to dodge most of it, but some hit   
dead-on.   
A broken glass bottle cut into his right shoulder. Brooklyn roared loudly as it lodged   
itself into the joint. The four teenagers screamed again and ran away.   
Brooklyn groaned and fell to his knees. He was losing a lot of blood for such a little   
piece of glass. It must of nicked an artery or something. With his shaky left hand he reached   
up and yanked out of the glass with a sharp yell.   
The glass fell to the ground beside him. Brooklyn put his hand up to his shoulder and   
put some pressure on it to slow the bleeding. When he pulled his hand away, it was covered in   
something sticky and wet. And dark. Blood.  
His blood.  
~And who else's would it be?~ he thought, annoyed by himself.   
He managed to get to his feet, but took one single step towards the wall and fell again.   
He realized that even if he made it to the wall, his shoulder wouldn't support the climb. He   
began feverishly wishing for someone in his clan to be there.   
He never felt such an empty void inside him before.   
  
* * *  
  
Hudson glided over the east bank of his namesake river. Not much was happening   
tonight, aside from the occasional muggings. As he turned into town, he spotted four young   
humans running from something. Whatever they were running from didn't seem to following   
them. Hudson landed as soon as they were out of sight.   
The alley was dark and silent. But Hudson could tell someone was in there.  
He heard a thump and then a groan. Hudson knew that voice. He ran into the alley,   
eyes ablaze.   
"Brooklyn!" He saw the clan's second-in-command kneeling on the ground, holding his   
shoulder. There was blood all around him. "Come on, lad." He began walking towards Brooklyn.  
  
* * *  
  
Brooklyn closed his eyes. He thought he heard his name being called, but in his haze he   
couldn't tell.  
Then, suddenly, reality set in as hands, strong hands, lifted him up under the shoulders,   
helping him to his feet."  
"Up ye go, lad." Brooklyn dimly recognized the voice, but he couldn't place it. "C'mon,   
laddie, yer a tough one. Ye'll pull through."  
Brooklyn tried to choke out a thanks, but he couldn't make his mouth move right.  
The hands were then helping him onto the person's back. Person... gargoyle. The being   
had wings, distinctly placing him away from humans. He knew he knew this person... but no   
name.  
Whoever it was began helping Brooklyn to the wall.   
  
* * *  
"Och, lad, yer exaggerating," Hudson muttered. Brooklyn wouldn't even stand.   
As Hudson pulled away his hand to wipe his brow, he gasped. His hand was covered in   
blood. Brooklyn wasn't exaggerating. Hudson then realized one disadvantage to having red   
skin coloring. You couldn't tell when one was soaked in blood. Hudson took a closer look at   
Brooklyn. The ends of his snow-white hair were tinged with pink. Hopefully the blood would clot   
soon to slow down the flow of it.   
Hudson suddenly heard a car screech up. He lurched back into the shadows, dragging   
Brooklyn. When he saw the car, he shouted.  
"Lass! Over here!" Hudson waved at Elisa, who was getting out hurriedly. "And bring   
something to wrap Brooklyn's shoulder!"  
Elisa ran over with a towel and a gauze wrap. "Handy having a first aid kit..." she   
muttered. "I saw you land and then these kids reported a roaring red gargoyle, so I drove over   
here as fast..." She looked at the gaping wound in Brooklyn's shoulder and gasped. "What   
happened?"  
"I wish I knew, lassie." Hudson took the towel and began dabbing away Brooklyn blood.   
He took the gauze wrap and wrapped it around his shoulder, then tied the towel tightly around   
the wrap.   
Brooklyn's eyes were slits, but open. When Elisa shined a light in his eyes, he looked   
away and shut his eyes quickly. He felt he has just looked into an supernova.   
"Hudson, help me get him to the car. We can't have him up in the air."  
Brooklyn lost consciousness, finally.  
  
* * *  
  
Lexington heard a moan and saw Brooklyn's eyes flutter.   
"How do you feel?" Broadway jumped up before Lexington could open his mouth.  
"Who the hell threw that glass at me?" he snarled.   
"We're not sure..." Angela said with worry in her tone of voice.   
Brooklyn looked around and saw that only the younger of the clan was there. Figured.   
"Some teenage humans... that's all I can remember..."  
"We'll go tell Goliath you're up," Broadway said, guiding Angela out the infirmary.  
When the door shut, Brooklyn looked back to Lex.   
"Are you all right, Brook?" Lex asked worriedly.  
Brooklyn snorted. "I guess. It's just that..."  
"Just that what?"  
"I've always wondered what made me go along with Demona that one night."  
"Yeah, same with me and the Pack. So?"  
"Now I know."  
Lex froze. "What do you mean?"  
"What's the point of protecting the humans if they just try to kill us?"   
Lex shook his head. "Brook, you're not thinking straight."  
"I'm thinking straight, trust me. Don't you see?" Brooklyn's voice became more   
confident. "Demona's been right all along!"  
"That must mean a lot to her coming from you."  
"You don't get it, Lex. What's the point?"  
"It's in our nature..."  
"Oh, spare me the broken record routine," Brooklyn muttered. "It's our heritage to   
protect something that hates us?"  
"I don't hate you."   
Brooklyn and Lexington turned their heads towards the open door. Cassie stood there,   
looking stoic.   
"Oh, jeez, Cass..." Brooklyn started. "I didn't mean you..."  
Cassie glared at him. "Oh, so I don't count as a human? I'm just the little extra spice   
that makes the human race nice?" Brooklyn looked away from her.   
"You've got some problems, Red. And you need to fix them fast - before they all come   
flying back in your face."  
  
* * *  
  
The two little eyes watched from the shadows as his aunt and friend walked away from   
the red gargoyle. They left the room, leaving him alone.   
Alexander Fox Xanatos knew his lesson, and he knew that Uncle Puck would be angry   
with him. And even more so, Goliath. But it had to be done for Brooklyn's own good.  
Alex silently mouthed the words for the spell, then disappeared.   
  
* * *  
  
Brooklyn stared at the ceiling. What the hell had he been thinking? Sure, most of the   
humans hated their guts, but Elisa and Cassie were two of the best people (human or   
gargoyle) that he had ever known.   
He suddenly felt really uncomfortable. Every inch of his skin began burning and he   
found it hard to breathe. ~What the hell...~ he thought. A spasm of pain went through him and   
he fell unconscious for the second time that night.   
He didn't know how much longer it was... but he woke up. He groaned and got up from   
the infirmary bed. He tried to stand on his toes, like he always had. But he found it difficult. He   
crossed his eyes and saw no red beak in front of his eyes. His back felt lighter than usual. He   
had a wrenching feeling in his stomach.   
"Fuck..." he whispered. He stumbled over to the mirror and looked at his thin, long,   
human face. He shook his head and blinked. "Fuck," he repeated as the face remained human   
when he opened his eyes again. He put his two five-fingered hands to his face.   
"FUCK!!!"  
  
* * *  
  
Goliath heard Brooklyn's yell. Goliath didn't like today's curses, so he walked into the   
infirmary to scold him.   
Instead of seeing Brooklyn, he saw a tall human staring at a mirror with an enraged   
face. The human turned his terrified eyes towards Goliath. Goliath knew those eyes...  
"Brooklyn?!" he choked out. "What hap... PUCK!!!" he roared.   
Apparently, everyone BUT Puck had heard, because everyone came running in. They   
stared at the white-haired human, who only stared back at them.   
"Stop looking at me!" he yelled. "Goddamnit, I'm not having a good night!" he whined,   
flopping down in the chair.   
"Oh, no," came an annoyed voice from behind them all. Puck was there, floating as   
usual, with one hand to his face. "I TOLD Alex no spells on anyone!"  
"The RUNT did this?!" Brooklyn yelled. "Tell him to change me back!"   
"I already asked him what he did." Puck stopped and looked Brooklyn in the eye. "He   
said you have to turn yourself back."   
"WHAT THE HELL IS HE TALKING ABOUT?!"   
"When you realize what truly makes you a gargoyle, you'll turn back," Puck said craftily.   
"Um... I'm a gargoyle because that's the way I was born!" Brooklyn said sarcastically.   
"It's something else. And you have to not only know it, but realize it." With that, Puck   
disappeared.   
Brooklyn stared at the ceiling again. He opened his mouth to say something, than   
closed it again. "That's just perfect," he muttered.   
Cassie had been watching silently from the back. "Brooklyn..."  
"Don't!" he warned. "Just DON'T say it."  
"I was just going to suggest-"  
"Don't!"  
"that you-"  
"Stop before I beat-"  
"go to-"  
"you!"  
"school?" Cassie finished uncertainly. Brooklyn stared at her like she had grown an   
extra nose.   
"What? I'd be behind them all!" He sighed.  
"No, you wouldn't. Trust me. I know how smart you are, and you could make it in the   
advanced classes."   
Brooklyn looked at Goliath. "It's your decision. But..."  
"I need to beat this thing."  
"Yes."  
Hudson spoke up. "I think it would help him realize it."   
"Realize what?"  
"What makes him a gargoyle."  
Brooklyn knew he should listen to Hudson, but he didn't want to go to a human's   
school. But... it meant staying awake all day long. When the sun was out.   
Brooklyn heard a crackling and turned to see his clan. Or rather, their statues.   
Brooklyn froze for a solid minute. He breathed noisily and then ran out of the room.   
"Brooklyn!" Elisa shouted. "Where are you going?" Cassie and Elisa followed him.   
Brooklyn got to the doorway to the outside tower. He stopped and walked slowly out.   
There, hanging low in the sky, was the one thing he had always longed to see. He held a hand   
out to the warmth of the sun, as if grasping it. Elisa and Cassie watched him in silence. They   
could only dream what he was feeling right at that moment.   
After a good ten minutes, Brooklyn turned towards them. "I'll go, Cass."   
  
* * *  
  
Xanatos got him registered that day. He would attend school the next day. As a   
temporary student, of course.   
Cassie had taken him out on a shopping spree kind of thing. He got more than a few   
regular teen's outfits. Brooklyn had wanted a Yankees shirt, but Cassie slapped his hand,   
giving him a good scolding. "Evil Yankees," she had muttered, ignoring the glares she was   
getting from people around her. She quickly handed him a Cleveland Indians shirt.   
Now, pulling his hair back into a loose ponytail, Brooklyn stretched in his new clothes.   
He felt uncomfortable with this much clothes on, but it would have to do. He was wearing a   
pair of baggy khaki pants and a matching "shirt," except Cassie had ripped off the sleeves to   
make it sort of like a vest, to pull over a blank white t-shirt. He checked to make sure the   
twenty that Xanatos had given him was still in his wallet, then put it in his back pocket.   
"Ready to go?" Cassie asked.   
"Uh... yeah. I guess."  
  
* * *  
  
Brooklyn stepped out of Cassie's car and looked up at the school. Theodore Roosevelt   
High School.  
The parking lot was packed with cars. Off to his left, there was a foot ball field and   
stadium. To his right, woods. And in front of him, a long hike across the giant parking lot to the   
school.  
"Come on." Cassie dragged him by the arm. He stumbled and then followed her across   
the lot.  
  
* * *  
  
"CASSIE!"  
Brooklyn turned his head as an extremely loud voice shouted his friend's name. A girl   
with slightly short, spiky hair hopped the "fence" that surrounded the cafeteria.  
"Who's yer friend?" the girl inquired, narrowing her slanted brown eyes at Brooklyn.   
There was something eerily familiar about this girl.  
"Sasha, this is Brook... uh, Jeff Brooks," Cassie quickly corrected as Brooklyn shot a   
warning glare at her.   
"You can call me Brook," Brooklyn said, knowing he would never remember that his   
name was now Jeff.  
"Brook?!" Sasha laughed insanely. "That's a girl's name!" Her laughter, too, was familiar.  
A brief look of annoyance crossed Brooklyn's face, but he chose to ignore that   
comment.   
"C'mon, Brook, we have to go get you registered," Cassie said, tugging on his arm   
again.   
"Awmn, no, 'Brook!' You have to come meet our friends!" Sasha interrupted, tugging on   
his other arm.  
Her face, her brown hair with those two wisps of hair in front of her ears, her eyes, her   
laugh... who was this girl?  
Brooklyn suddenly found himself being pulled two separate ways. And Cassie and   
Sasha were both laughing as they fought over him.  
"You are so annoying!" Cassie shot playfully at Sasha.  
"Yeah!" Sasha shouted. No one seemed to look in their direction, as if this sort of thing   
were daily. "And you smell like my Grandma!'"  
Cassie promptly stuck her tongue out at Sasha. "Bitch."  
"Slut."  
"Hoe."  
"Child-molester."  
"Huh?" Cassie blinked. "Oh, never mind. Registration can wait."  
Brooklyn blinked. "What the hell was that?"  
Sasha chuckled. "You're new here, aren't you?"  
  
* * *  
  
Olivia watched the two fight over the boy. The boy was what had caught her attention.   
She breathed out a sigh.   
"Oh, man, he's fuckable," she muttered, closing her eyes dreamily.   
"Liv?" Olivia glanced over at Faye, who had spoken. "Who's fuckable?" Liv pointed out   
the boy with the shocking white hair. Faye sucked in a breath and licked her lips hungrily.   
"Oh, no you don't!" Liv interrupted. "I saw him first!"   
"It's a perfectly fair fight," Faye argued, brushing a purple wisp of hair out of her eyes.   
"NOW who are you two fighting over?" Sasha was marching up to them, dragging the   
fuckable boy by one arm. Faye stared at his white hair.  
"Is that NATURAL?" she exclaimed. "There's no dark roots. Or did you _just_ dye it?"   
The boy stepped back at the barrage of questions. "Yeah, it's natural. Why?"  
"Don't mind Faye. She's obsessed with hair dye," Cassie muttered from the back.  
"Oh, fuck me!" Faye yelled loudly, throwing her hands up in the air. "How the hell? I have   
to fucking dye my hair to get what I want!"   
"How do you know I want this hair color?" the boy said, smiling slyly.   
"You should! I've wanted white hair since the fifth grade!"   
"You're welcome to have some," the boy joked. He yelped as Faye suddenly yanked a   
strand of hair out of his head. She gazed at it with wide eyes like it was a string of gold.  
"Faye, sit," Liv ordered coyly. Faye simply glared at her and waggled her pierced tongue   
at her.  
"Well, _that's_ attractive!" Sasha exclaimed sarcastically.  
"Isn't it though?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Dooooooooooooooon't ask me why I'm crying  
I'm not gonna tell ya what's wrong  
I'm just gonna sit on your lap  
For five dollars a song  
I want you to pay me for my beauty  
I think it's only right  
Cause I have been paying for it   
All of my life  
  
I'm gonna take the money I make  
I'm gonna take the money I make  
Ya, I'm just gonna take the money I make  
And I'm gonna go away  
  
We barely have time to react in this world  
Let alone rehearse  
And I don't think that I'm better than you  
But I don't think that I'm worse  
Women learn to be women  
And mem learn to be men  
And I don't blame it all on you  
  
I'm gonna take the money I make  
I'm gonna take the money I make  
Uh, huh, I'm just gonna take the money I make  
And I'm gonna go away  
  
I was eleven years old  
He was as old as my dad  
And he took something away from me  
Something I didn't even know that I had  
So don't tell me about decency  
Don't tell me about pride  
Just give me something for my trouble  
Cause this time it's not a free ride  
  
I'm just gonna take the money I make  
I'm gonna take the money I make  
I'm gonna take the money I make  
And I'm gonna go away  
  
Don't ask me ask me why I'm crying  
I'm not gonna tell ya what's wrong  
I'm just gonna sit on your lap  
For five dollars a song  
I want you to pay me for my beauty  
I think it's only right  
Cause I have been paying for it   
All of my life  
  
Now I'm just gonna take  
I'm just gonna take  
I'm gonna take  
And I'm gonna go away..."  
  
Faye's voice trailed off as the song ended. She ejected the CD and put it back in the   
case. As she snapped it shut, she looked at herself in the mirror at her reflection. She grinned   
devilishly, showing her pearly white teeth. She turned around, flopping on her bed.   
~Why should Sasha and Cassie get every boy in the school? Or Liv, for that matter?~   
she thought to herself. Liv and her were best friends, ever since they had gone out last year.   
They completely ignored all the looks of disgust they had gotten when they sat closer together   
than two girls should, and they had thought they were truly in love.   
Until Liv had spontaneously decided that she wasn't bi anymore. Faye was still   
attracted to her, but she didn't want to tie Liv down. They had broken up, but swore to always   
be friends. Faye and Liv went hunting together, and while Liv went after the first decent guy   
she saw, Faye settled for a guy or a girl. She had had a few boyfriends and even a girlfriend   
since then, but nothing was the same.  
Until Brook had shown up today. GOD! He was as decent as FUCK. ~Fuckable Brook,~   
she thought, grinning.   
"Jeff Brooks," Faye said out loud, running her tongue along her teeth. "You are mine."  
  
* * *  
  
Liv watched the fish swim around in the fifty gallon tank. Tapping some food in, she   
watched the many fish swim for it as fast as their little tails could carry them.   
She turned over on her back and groaned as her cat suddenly decided to use her   
stomach as a pillow. She absently noticed the poster on her wall. When you stood right-side   
up, it said "It's an ordinary day in the neighborhood." But in the position she was in now, with   
her head hanging off the edge of the bed, it said "Welcome to Hell." How fitting.   
Lifting her cat back up, she turned over and yawned. She was bored today. Sure, she   
had homework, but she was far from resorting to that. Who at school had said they had   
gotten an ounce of weed today? Michel? John? Brook?  
~Brook?~ she thought with a snort. ~He's as clean as a new pipe.  
~But _so_ damn fuckable!~ she thought with a slight thought of what was under his   
jeans. She smiled and closed her eyes, forgetting about getting high for the moment.   
She was brought out of her trance when the phone rang. She growled as she picked   
up the phone. "What?" she snarled into the receiver.   
"Hey, it's me!" John's raspy voice came through. "You coming over or what?"  
Liv's thoughts returned to that of the marijuana. "I'll be right over," she said into the   
phone. Setting down the cordless, she grabbed her keys and walked out the door.  
"I'm leaving, be back around midnight!" she shouted to her father, who simply grunted a   
response.  
Her cat blocked the way out the front door, meowing. "Move, fucker!" she yelled at the   
cat, and kicked the sprawling cat away. It landed harmlessly on the couch as Liv walked out the   
door without a backwards glance.  
  
* * *  
  
"YAAH!"  
Sasha let out a yell as she kicked the punching bag with a side swipe. Leaping into the   
air, she planted two swift kicks to it, then went into a back handspring and leapt away from it   
as if it would jump back and attack her. Spinning around, she slammed a roundhouse kick to it   
and then landed three punches right on target. She jumped away again and let out a breath   
after her workout. She bent down and picked up her water bottle.   
She turned to her foster father, and looked hopefully at him. "Anything?" He shook his   
head. She turned her head away, knowing it would be the same answer, as it had been for the   
past three years. She walked over to her gym bag, absently noticing the two golden metal   
gloves in it. She took a closer look at them and lifted one of them out. Placing it on her hand,   
she wiggled the fingers around expertly. The fingers on it acted as knives that would slice into   
anything. She barely realized a tear was running down her cheek.   
"They're never coming back, are they?" she whispered. "Not even to see me..."  
Her foster father walked up next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I realize   
that your brother and sister mean a lot to you, and you mean a lot to them. I know they'll come   
back."  
Sasha stared at her "father." Her eyes narrowed. "How can you promise something like   
that?" she demanded. "What if they NEVER come back?"  
"They WILL!" her foster father insisted, kneeling beside her.  
"You ALWAYS say that!"  
He sighed. "Please, Sasha. I don't want to fight with you."  
"Then leave. This is MY room."  
He sighed again, got up, and then walked out of the room, leaving Sasha to herself.  
When she was sure he was gone, she got up and walked to the window. ~Where are   
you?~ she wondered, clasping and unclasping the golden glove, listening to the clicking sounds   
it made.  
~Where are you?~  
  
* * *  
  
Elisa walked through the bookstore, not really paying attention to the titles. She just   
needed something to read to take her mind off of what had happened in the past few weeks.   
Brooklyn had finally found someone, and SALEM had to ruin it all.  
True, Elisa would never had imagined that Brooklyn's final decision would land on   
Demona, but they had seemed perfect for each other.   
GODDAMN Salem and his stupid, fucking magic! That bastard of a gargoyle had done   
the worst thing that could happen to a couple. Erased their memories, wiped the slate clean,   
and had left Elisa out of the spell so she was left to think of a way to clean up his mess. Left to   
clean up his pile of shit that should have never of happened.   
But one thing disturbed her. Just about an hour before the spell was complete,   
Demona had called her something. It was something very absent, out of the blue, and would   
be passed up by most, but not by her.  
  
--------------------  
  
"We're not going to let you toy with our memories," Demona snarled.   
Salem laughed. "The spell has already been cast. The East has sworn that. Just after   
dawn, all memories will be gone."  
A wave of fury rushed over Brooklyn and Demona. They both leapt at him. Brooklyn   
yanked his hair and pulled his arm back, pinning it behind him. Demona grabbed his other arm   
and let loose one swift kick to the weak spot behind the knee. Salem let out a cry and all three   
of them collapsed in a great heap on the ground.  
Elisa had unlocked everyone by now, and although she told them to go outside, they   
stayed. The very building was crumbling around them.   
Demona looked up at Elisa. "Please, sister! Leave!"   
Elisa stilled, despite the rumbling. ~Sister?~ she thought in a haze.  
  
--------------------  
  
That haze had now come back, and she wasn't coming out of it any time soon.   
~Sister?~ she thought again, as the scene replayed in her mind. She suddenly wished   
that Salem had included her in the spell rather then leaving her with that.  
Turning down another aisle, something caught her eye. She stopped, and squinted at it.   
Eyes widening, she grabbed the book off the shelf.   
~"God Bless the Gargoyles?"~ she thought. ~How appropriate...~ She flipped through it,   
smiling at the angels and the words inside. She tucked it under her arm and meant to go   
straight to the checkout when something else caught her eye. It was another child's book, but   
this one had a much more depressing title. "Unwanted."  
Elisa skimmed through it and got the general gist. An elf had sworn to get rid of all the   
humans who lived in the village nearby. He had cooked up a plan, but he was discovered by the   
humans in the village, and was stopped. In his rage, he cast a spell that was supposed to kill   
the human, but one of his own jumped in the way. The elf felt awful, and was then banished   
away from his own kind, where he began to distrust the humans even more. He blamed them   
for the death of his friend. He tried to convince the other elves that passed by of the humans'   
evil, but none listened to him. He had thought they just didn't understand him, but then realized   
that perhaps he didn't understand the humans. He was forever alone because of his own   
hatred.   
Elisa scrunched her brow together. This story was disturbing in its' own rights. She   
closed the book and tucked it under her arm along with the other one. Walking to the   
checkout, she began forming a plan in her mind.  
  
* * *  
  
Cassie was sprawled across the TV room sofa, looking like a sleeping lioness. Her eyes   
were closed, and her breathing was long and steady.   
"Is she asleep?" Angela whispered to Broadway.  
"Don't ask me," Broadway whispered back. "I'm not the expert!"  
Their eyes turned to Brooklyn, who was lying awkwardly across the chair opposite of   
Cassie. He appeared to be asleep as well.   
"Musta been a rough day at school," Broadway muttered. Angela nodded an   
agreement.  
"I don't know how she does it," Brooklyn suddenly said, wrinkling his nose, eyes still   
closed. "How could anyone go to that hell-hole everyday?"  
"You're forced," Cassie said.   
"Oh, you're forced to go learn something that you don't want to know?"   
"Basically," Cassie said, sitting up and stretching. "Sucks, don't it?"  
  
* * *  
  
Sasha looked at Faye, who was grinning again.   
"What are you up to?" Sasha asked casually.  
Faye still grinned. "They were digging a new foundation in Manhattan/and they   
discovered a slave cemetery there..."  
Sasha smiled and joined in. "May their souls rest easy now that lynching is frowned   
upon/we've moved onto the electric chair.  
"And I wonder who's gonna be president   
Tweedle Dumb or Tweedle Dumber?  
And who's gonna have the big  
blockbuster box office  
this summer  
How 'bout we put up a wall  
between the houses and the highways  
and then you can go your way  
and I can go my way.  
  
Except all the radios agree with all the TV's  
and the magazines agree with all the radios  
and I keep hearing that same DAMN song  
everywhere I go  
Maybe I should put a bucket over my head  
and a marshmallow in each ear  
and stumble around for another dumb numb week  
for another hum drum hit song to appear.  
  
People used to make records   
as in a record of an event  
the event of people  
playing music in a room  
Now everything is cross-marketing  
it's about sunglasses and shoes  
or guns and drugs  
you choose.  
  
We got it rehashed  
We got it half-assed.  
We're digging up all the graves  
And we're spitting on the past  
And we can choose between the colors   
of the lipstick on the whores  
Cuz we know the difference   
between the font of twenty percent more  
and the font of teriyaki  
You tell me  
How does it make you feel?  
You tell me what's real.  
  
They say that alcoholics are always alcoholics  
Even when they're dry as my lips for years  
Even when they're stranded on a small desert island  
With no place in two thousand miles to buy beer  
And I wonder is he different  
is he different  
has he changed  
what's he's about  
Or is he just a liar  
with nothing to lie about  
Am I headed for the same brick wall  
Is there anything I can do  
about anything at all  
  
Except go back to that corner in Manhattan  
and dig deeper  
dig deeper this time  
Down beneath the impossible pain of our history  
beneath the unknown bones  
beneath the bedrock of the mystery  
beneath the sewage system and the path train  
beneath the cobblestones and the water main  
beneath the traffic of friendships and street deals  
beneath the screeching of kamikaze cab wheels  
beneath everything I can think of to think about  
beneath it all  
beneath all get out  
beneath the good and the kind and the stupid and the cruel  
there's a fire that's just waiting for fuel."  
  
Faye and Sasha both looked at each other and burst out laughing.   
"Bravo," came a sarcastic voice. They looked over and saw Liv, clapping her hands very   
slowly with a pissed expression on her face.  
"What's with you?" Faye asked.  
Liv looked at the table. "I spent the night in JV."  
Sasha groaned. "Not again..."  
Liv shot her a nasty look. "Yeah, again."  
"What did you do?"  
"Got caught smoking weed with John. I think he's still there because he's the one that   
had it."  
"Shit, don't tell Cassie. She'll be so pissed at you. You told her you wouldn't get high   
anymore!" Faye hissed. "You told ALL of us!"  
"So I fucking lied!" Liv shouted. "What are you gonna do?"  
"What did you lie about?" came Cassie's angry voice from behind her.  
Liv turned around quickly and saw Cassie standing with Brook. "Fuck, Cassie, don't do   
that!"  
"You told us you wouldn't do that shit anymore!" Cassie snarled. "I can't believe you!"   
She walked up and faced Liv so close so that their noses were almost touching. "You broke   
another promise."  
"So?"  
"SO?!" Cassie said in an enraged tone. "So it's getting fucking tiring of listening to you   
about how you get high!"  
"Oh, and I suppose I'm not supposed to fucking get drunk either!"   
"That's not the point!"  
"Well, am I?"  
"We don't want to deal with your damn hangovers!"  
"Excuse me." Both girls looked up at the principal. "Can I see you both in my office?"  
"God, why can't people just leave me the fuck alone?!" Liv shouted, putting her head   
down on the table.  
Sasha sighed as Liv and Cassie were toted off to the principal's office to get a good   
talking-to about swearing. Brook flopped down in a chair next to her.  
"Does that happen often?" he asked them.  
"All the time," Faye said, eyeing him with her pale blue eyes.  
"Hey, you guys going out for the play?" Sasha asked, changing the subject.  
"What's the play?" Faye asked.  
"'A Midsummer Night's Dream' parody."  
"Sure."  
"What about you, Brook?" Sasha asked the white-haired boy.  
"Huh? Uh..."  
"Come on!" Sasha grinned. "I'm sure you'll be a great actor!"  
"Um... okay," Brook agreed reluctantly.  
The bell buzzed to warn the students they had ten minutes before first period. Brook   
cracked his back. "Shouldn't have slept in a chair all night," he muttered.  
"Back ache?" Sasha asked. He nodded. "Turn around." Brook obeyed. Sasha began   
kneading her fists into his back. Brook let out a whooshing sigh.  
"Where'd you learn that?" he asked when she was done. "It's fine now!"  
"My older brother taught me because the middle kid of the family, my sister, kept   
asking for back rubs," Sasha said. "He was sick of giving them."  
"Is there any word on them yet?" Faye asked softly. Sasha shook her head sadly. A tear   
slipped down her cheek. She quickly wiped it off. But another fell, and then another. Faye   
walked over to the chair next to Sasha and put a hand on her shoulder.  
"I'm sorry," Faye said. "I didn't mean to-"  
"It's all right," Sasha said. "I seem to be doing this a lot lately."  
The five minute bell rang.  
Brook looked at Sasha with a curious look on his face, but he apparently decided it was   
best not to say anything.  
Cassie sat down in a chair across from them, glaring into space. She finally looked at   
the three of them. "Sasha!" she said. She scooted over behind Sasha and looked at her. "Are   
you okay?"   
Sasha shook her head and got up. "I need to be alone," she announced softly. She   
walked out of the lunch area, leaving the others staring at each other.   
"Her brother and sister again?" Cassie asked Faye, who nodded.   
"Poor girl..."  
The one minute bell rang. "AHHH!" Cassie shouted, and stood up quickly, grabbing her   
backpack, dragging Brook by the arm, and ran towards her first period class.  
Faye walked calmly across the hall into the music room. Taking out her viola, she looked   
at the picture in her case. Sighing, she slammed the case shut.  
  
* * *  
  
Sasha watched Brook up on stage. It was his turn for the tryout. He was only going for   
an extra, but Sasha could tell he was going to get a much bigger part then that. Sasha was   
the student director this play. She had a lot of input on who got what part, and she was going   
to see to it that Brook got a big part.  
"ARGH!" Brook yelled, playing his part well. The lines you had to read for tryouts were   
the argument between Oberon and Titania. "Titania, this is so much more then that boy! I   
believe you have been dillying, maybe even dallying with that... that.... Theseus!"  
"Oh, please!" Faye said, rolling her eyes. "Theseus needs a magnifying glass to even   
catch a glimpse of me!"  
"That is not the point!" Brook growled. "YOU have been with him!  
Faye played the part of Titania, and she stomped of stage.   
"PUCK!!!" Brook shouted loudly, looking slightly behind him, as if really looking for   
someone.  
"Good, very good! That'll be enough!" said Mrs. Butler, the director. Brook smiled and   
walked to back stage and went out through the door to the scene shop, where he exited to   
the hallway.  
"Are you DONE yet?" Cassie asked impatiently.   
"Yeah, let's go."  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey, Brook, congrats!"  
Brooklyn looked behind him and spied a kid he had barely met.  
"For what?" he said back, but the kid was already gone.  
"Brook, way to go!"  
"Huh?" Brooklyn said quickly. Sasha walked up besides him and gave him a pat on the   
back. "What I do?"  
Sasha grinned at him. "Come on." She began dragging him towards the Scene Shop.   
She pushed him up to the cast list.   
Brooklyn began reading the names out loud. "Oberon, Danny Whitier. Titania, Faye   
Jackson. Puck... Oh, shit." He slapped his forehead. "Perfect," he said sarcastically.  
Sasha laughed. "The meeting is tomorrow after school."   
"Joy."  
  
* * *  
  
Angela looked up as Brooklyn walked in with an angry look on his face. He walked   
straight for Owen's office and was about to pound on the door, but Cassie ran up and steered   
him away, out the door. Curious, Angela followed.   
Brooklyn was now sitting down on the couch, glaring at something in his hands, which   
appeared to be a book. He was mumbling something inaudible.   
"What's going on?" Angela asked.   
"Brooklyn's not a happy camper," Cassie said.   
"Why?"  
"I'm still not sure," Cassie said, cracking her back.   
Owen walked into the room as stiffly as always, and promptly ducked when Brooklyn   
threw the book-like thing at his head. It landed against the wall with a loud clonk. Angela picked   
it up and started laughing.   
"Well, Mr. Brooks, you have some lines to memorize," she said, handing it back to him.   
"Whoopee," Brooklyn said.   
  
* * *  
  
"Where's Faye?"   
"I think she's cutting today."  
Cassie let out a sigh of exasperation. "Stupid."  
Liv glared at her.   
Sasha ran up to the table. "Cassie, Ron is on a rampage looking for you! He says you   
got his money!"  
Cassie quickly stood up. "Fuck! I took it from him yesterday, and I forgot to give it back!"  
"How much?" Liv asked.  
"About twenty-something."  
"Keep it."  
Cassie simply glared, and then she and Sasha left.   
Liv looked at Brook, who was falling asleep in his chair. She poked him, and he jerked   
his head up with a snarl.   
He stilled suddenly, seeing that Liv was the only one there. Liv always made him   
nervous for some reason. "What?"  
"You alive?"  
"Not really," he said, cracking his neck.  
"What you do?"   
"Stayed up all night."  
"I do that all the time. Doesn't bug me."  
"You're probably used to it, though."  
"Naw. I just got something to help." Liv reached into her backpack and got out a small   
canister. She opened it and pulled out a few pills. Handing three to Brook, she said, "Take   
these. They'll wake you up."  
"What are they?" Brook asked, holding one up to the light. Liv quickly pulled his arm   
down.   
"Don't do that!" she hissed. "We aren't supposed to have even Aspirin in this school!"  
"Oh!" Brook said, arching his neck. He grabbed his can of Josta and eyed the pills. "So   
what are they?"  
"Just something to wake you up."  
"Do I take them all at once?"  
"Sure, if you want."  
Brook looked at the little red pills one more time, then put them in his mouth and took   
a swig of Josta. Swallowing them, he looked at Faye. "How long until they start working?"  
"You'll see."   
The five-minute bell rang, and Faye suddenly walked up to the table.   
"I thought you were skipping!" Liv exclaimed.  
"I got nothing else to do today." Faye plopped down beside Brook and buried her head   
into his shoulder.  
"Um... can I help you?" Brook asked.   
"Whoops. You're not a pillow." She banged her head down on the table.   
"Don't do _that!"_ Brook said. "That can't be healthy."  
"I don't really care," she yawned. "And maybe it's good for me!"  
"Oh, brother..."  
"Shut up!" Faye leaned on Brook again, and closed her eyes.   
Brook looked down at her purple hair and suddenly grinned. ~Could I possibly have a   
girl after me?~ he thought to himself.  
  
* * *  
  
Liv glared at the two. Faye was winning. And she couldn't just go up to him and jerk him   
away. That would be too obvious. Maybe once Brook woke up a little...  
  
* * *  
  
Cassie walked back into the cafeteria area. She began walking towards their table, but   
froze when she saw Faye and Brooklyn. She suddenly felt a tinge of hatred towards Faye, and it   
was impossibly hard to get mad at Faye.  
Cassie stared at them with her eyes wide. A thought came to her mind that she never   
thought possible. ~I'm jealous.~   
She couldn't believe it.   
  
* * *  
  
Faye grinned inwardly, unaware of the stares she was getting.   
She had him. Now all she had to do was reel him in.   
  
* * *  
  
Brook looked at Liv, who appeared to have a hard look on her face. What else was   
new?  
But then he noticed Cassie. She was standing a little ways from the table, and glaring   
at him. No, not him... Faye? Was she angry at Faye for some reason? Who could possibly get   
mad at Faye, of all people?  
  
* * *  
  
Elisa slapped the last five stamps she had onto the package. It was easily twenty dollars   
in stamps, but she wasn't taking any chances. She hated it when the post office sent the   
package back because she was a few cents short.   
Giving Cagney a quick pat, she headed out the door. As she climbed into her car, she   
began having second thoughts. What if she could somehow trace who sent her the package?  
Starting up her car, she shook her head. She remembered her words clearly.   
  
---------------------  
  
Demona stood up, leaning against Brooklyn. "I need to get out of here," she said.  
"Why?!" Brooklyn asked her.   
"If we're going to lose our memories, then I'll start hating humans again." She paused.   
"And the clan."  
"But-"  
"I don't want to endanger you," Demona said, shushing him.   
Brooklyn took a look of understanding. "And that means I'll start hating you again."   
Demona nodded, trying to hold back tears.  
She suddenly turned towards Elisa. "You have to promise me something." It wasn't a   
question, it was a command. "Will you promise to try and restore out memories? Make us   
remember?"  
Elisa inhaled noisily. "I swear I'll try."  
"You have to do more than try!" Demona said desperately.   
Elisa smiled weakly. "I'll make you remember, I swear."  
  
--------------------  
  
Elisa winced, remembering seeing the pain on Brooklyn's face when they had come   
back to the castle that night.   
And when he awoke that evening, he was the same old happy-go-lucky that she had   
come to know.   
And as for Demona... hell, Elisa actually missed her. She kinda wished that Salem had   
put her under the spell as well. It wasn't easy dealing with a bunch of amnesiacs and not blurt   
out the truth. They would all just lock her up with the crazies, and Goliath would go on some   
rampage about her being under a magic spell.   
Elisa let out a grin, despite it all. Goliath was overprotective, but she loved him just the   
same.   
She pulled into the post office and opened the car door. She got out with the package   
and she looked at it, carefully. ~I hope this works,~ she thought to herself.   
  
* * *  
  
"Good job, everyone!" Sasha said to the cast. "Work on the lighting, though, Melany!   
The play tomorrow is going to be great!"  
"Puck" stretched and took off his pointed hat as "Titania" walked up next to him and   
hugged him. He put an arm around her and hugged her back.   
"Brook!" Cassie said in an annoyed voice. "Let's GO!"  
"You better go," Faye whispered. "The queen awaits."  
"I know." Brook grinned.   
Faye kissed him lightly on the cheek and slipped him a piece of paper. "Call me." She   
turned and walked away from him. Brook simply stared after her.  
"Brook! Move your ass!"  
Brook cringed and looked back towards Cassie. "I'm moving, I'm moving!"  
A shriek cut through the air. Brook snapped his head over towards Sasha, who was   
being picked up by Brian Meloy, who played Lysander, and Danny Whitier, who was Oberon.   
Sasha let out another one of her streams of insane giggling. Danny had her arms, and Brian   
had her legs.   
"C'mon, Sasha.... it's to the pool with ye!" Brian said, grinning evilly.   
"No!" Sasha shrieked.   
"BROOK!"   
Brook stumbled off-stage and ran towards Cassie as Sasha was carried across the   
school towards the pool.   
  
* * *  
  
"M-miss Destine?"  
Dominique turned to her assistant, Mary Childs. The fool was actually trembling. "Yes,   
Mary?" she said in an annoyed voice.  
"H-here's your p-personal m-mail." Mary held out the envelopes and a package.   
Dominique took the pile of mail, sifted through it and looked back up with narrowed eyes.  
"Thank you. Now get out!" she snarled.   
Mary squeaked, and turned on her heel, lurching out of the office.  
Dominique took out the package and eyed it. No return address, and her own address   
was typed. If it was a bomb, it was a light one, although who would really go to all the trouble of   
blowing her to pieces? Tearing the brown paper with a long fingernail, she opened it.   
Two books and an envelope. The envelope didn't have marks on it, and it wasn't sealed.   
She pulled out the folded piece of paper and looked at the typed lettering. It only said one thing:  
  
Read these and understand.   
  
Looking at the books, her face gave way to confusion. She opened the one on top, "God   
Bless the Gargoyles," forgetting to wonder who sent her the books.   
  
* * *  
  
Brook smoothed out the dollar bill and was about to put it into the pop machine when   
Faye popped out of nowhere and snatched it.  
"Hey!" he protested.   
Faye teasingly waved the bill in front of his face. "I've got yer money!" she said in a sing-  
song voice.   
"Not for long!" he growled as he lunged at her. Faye laughed and hopped away from   
him. Brook turned around and grinned evilly. "Come here, dearie," he said, beckoning her.   
"You've been a _bad_ little girl."  
Faye let out a laugh and she took off down the hall. In after school hours, none of the   
teachers really cared if you ran around. Brook let out a yell and ran after her.   
Faye slid around the corner and skidded to a stop near the girls' bathroom. Brook   
wouldn't come in there, hopefully. She opened the door, not knowing how close Brook was. She   
started to go in quickly.  
Brook reached out and began to shut the door. Unfortunately, Faye didn't notice this.  
Faye didn't know what hit her as she slammed her head into the corner of the door.   
Without a sound, she dropped to the ground, holding her hand over her face.   
"Faye?" Brook knelt down next to her, trying to pull her arm away from her eye. "Faye,   
let me see."  
Faye finally pulled her hand away to see it was covered in blood. Shock flooded through   
her, then anger. "Fucking asshole!" she yelled.  
"Come on, Faye, get up!" Brook's voice sounded urgent. Brook managed to get her to   
her feet and she leaned on him for support. Dizziness wasn't helping her any, and blood was   
pouring into her left eye. "Close your eye, Faye," Brook said, as they started down the hallway.   
"Just keep it closed."  
Faye let out a sound. She was still in partial shock at how much blood was coming out   
of her head. Passing by a group of people, she noticed Brian. He looked at the two of them and   
started to wave at her, but then noticed the blood on the two of them and how Faye was   
hunched over. "Faye?" he asked uncertainly.   
They passed the group and finally made it to the nurse's office. Two teachers were   
talking right by the closed door. The man took one look at her and his eyes widened. He took   
out his keys and began fumbling with them, trying to find the key to the nurses' office. He finally   
found it, and unlocked the door.   
All three of them dragged her inside. "Get her legs elevated!" the woman teacher   
commanded. Brook and the man helped her to one of the beds. Lying down, she sighed. She   
closed both her eyes and wanted to sleep.  
She felt like cussing out the teachers as they began rubbing a towel on her eyebrow,   
where the cut apparently was. She settled for growling. "It doesn't look too deep," she heard   
one of the teacher's say. "But she should probably get to an emergency room."  
"Hi, Ms. Jackson?" she heard Brook's voice. She turned her head slightly to the left and   
spotted Brooklyn on the phone.   
"No-" she lifted her head slightly to protest, but was pushed gently back down by one of   
the teachers. "Don't call my mother!" she said.   
Brook hung up the phone. "Well, too late," he said, turning back towards her. "She's   
going to take you to the hospital when she gets here."  
For some reason, Faye felt they were all out to annoy her right then.   
  
* * *  
  
Stitches.  
12 stitches, right over her left eyebrow. The cut had been deeper then everyone   
thought. It was down to the bone, and the suture tech had to put in four stitches on the   
bottom layer, eight on top. They said she MIGHT have had a concussion, but they couldn't tell   
for the first 24 hours.   
Brook had called her when she finally got back. They talked for a while, he apologized a   
gillion times, and then she and Cassie talked, while Faye poked at her numb head.   
"Brook hates talking about his mistakes!" Cassie exclaimed. "He told everyone!" Faye   
laughed.   
"I mean, he even told Goli-" Cassie cut off suddenly.   
"Goli? Who's Goli?" Faye asked.   
"Um... nobody. Look, I gotta go. You get some sleep!" Cassie commanded.   
Faye narrowed her eyes. "Okay, I'll try. Seeya."  
"Bye."   
Faye hung up the phone. Cassie was hiding something, and she knew it.   
  
* * *  
  
"C'mon, c'mon, we're going to be late!!" exclaimed Faye. She knocked on the dressing   
room door again. "Brook! Hurry your ass up!"  
"My ass is going as fast as it can go!" Brook protested. "You've got the tickets, right?"  
"YES!" Faye said for the millionth time.  
"What's taking him so long?" Cassie said from beside her. Faye looked at her in   
surprise.  
"How'd you get in here? Only cast and crew, remember?" she said, grinning.   
"I let her in!" Sasha yelled from the prop room. She came out, dusting off her hands.   
"Oh, by the way, good job, Faye! I'm surprised how well you did, considering your head."  
Faye absently picked at the bandage over the stitches. "It doesn't even hurt."  
"Maybe the numbing stuff hasn't worn off yet," Cassie suggested.   
"Maybe. I can feel it, but it feels like a regular piece of skin, aside from the stitches. It   
doesn't ache or anything." Faye shook her head, remembering the night before. "They put so   
much number stuff on it! I couldn't feel anything all the way up to my hairline."  
Brook walked out of the dressing room, pulling on his leather jacket.   
"FINALLY!" Faye exclaimed. "Are we ready?"  
"Yuppers," Cassie said, grinning.   
"Then, let's go, already!!" Sasha said, arching her back forward.   
The others began following Cassie outside to her car, but Faye stayed behind a   
moment as a sudden dizziness came over her. She closed her eyes, and breathed steadily.   
The dizziness passed, and she hurried after her friends.  
  
* * *  
  
Faye and Cassie stood directly behind the group of moshers, while Brook and Sasha   
dove right into them. Sasha was crowd-surfing, while Brook was just slamming into everyone.   
Although Brook wasn't in with love Prodigy, he still liked it, and he loved moshing. Cassie   
spotted Sasha's characteristic black boots up in the air towards the left, and Brook's white   
hair towards the front.   
Faye popped two aspirin in her mouth and swallowed them dry. Her head hurt like a   
bitch, and it was no wonder why.   
"You okay?" Cassie shouted.   
Faye nodded back at her.   
"You looks kinda pale!"   
Faye hiked an eyebrow and turned back towards the concert. She felt fine, aside from   
the headache.   
But a few minutes later she was definately not fine. Then bass part felt like it was   
pounding into her stomach, but not like it usually did. It fucking HURT. She moaned softly, and   
put a hand to her stomach. She glanced at Cassie, but Cass was just watching the concert   
again.   
Then, as sudden as it had before, the dizziness came back. It wasn't too bad at first,   
but then she was actually swaying from how much everything was spinning. She struggled to   
stay on her feet, and ran into Cassie in the progress. Cassie looked at her again.   
"I KNOW you're not okay!" Cassie said to her. "What's wrong?"  
"Dizzy..." Faye breathed. Everything was getting real dark, but she could still make out   
certain forms. She couldn't see any features, though. Everything was gray and black.   
"Faye?" Cassie's voice sounded like it was echoing. "Come on, let's go sit down."  
Cassie grabbed her hand and began leading her through the crowd. Faye suddenly   
couldn't walk anymore, and she let go of Cassie's hand.   
Her vision still awful, she could tell someone around her was asking her something.   
"You going to throw up?" At least that's what he thought he said.  
It was the last thing she heard before she blacked out.   
  
* * *  
  
Cassie felt Faye release her hand. She turned around quickly, just in time to see Faye   
collapse.   
Someone was holding her up, or at least struggling to with one hand, the other holding   
a beer. Cassie got to her and saw Faye was as white as a sheet.   
"Get her down on the ground!" someone shouted.   
"Elevate her legs!"  
Cassie, while doing this, began shouting at the top of her lungs. "WE NEED A   
DOCTOR!!"   
"I'll go find someone to help," someone offered behind her.   
Cassie didn't even glance behind her. "Could you, please?" she said as she took of her   
jacket and put it under Faye's head.   
  
* * *  
  
"WE NEED A DOCTOR!"   
Brooklyn heard the voice as clear as a bell. It sounded oddly familiar... ~Cassie?~ he   
thought. ~Why would she be calling for a doc-~ His eyes widened in fear.   
"FAYE!"  
He turned around and began pushing through the moshers.   
  
* * *  
  
Sasha heard the shout as well, though it didn't take her as long to recognize it.   
~Cassie?!~  
She twisted around and jumped to the ground. Running through the crowd, she   
emanated only concern for Faye.   
  
* * *   
  
"A minor concussion."  
~Minor?~ thought Faye.   
"The loud music was probably affecting her a bit."  
~A bit?~  
"Just keep her under surveillance for a while," the doctor finished to Mrs. Jackson, as if   
Faye wasn't there.   
"What about the play?" Faye asked. "The last performance is tomorrow!"  
The doctor sighed. "You can do that if you feel you really need to, but please sit down   
whenever possible."  
Faye nodded an agreement, and she and her mother left.   
  
* * *  
  
"You aren't goin' anywhere, Liv!"  
Olivia's father was currently screaming at her. She looked away from him with a look of   
disgust on her face. He jerked her head back towards him.  
"You look at me, when I'm talking to you, bitch!!" he screamed at her.   
"FUCK YOU!!" Liv shouted back. "I told you yesterday I was going to the play!"   
"And you were also out until 4 o'clock AM last night!" her father spat out.   
"SO?!"  
"SO? SO!" A look of rage took over his face. He raised his fist to strike her.   
Liv began groping behind her, looking for the drawer. She found it and opened it quickly.   
Pulling out the loaded shut gun, she undid the safety and pointed it at her father.   
"I'm going, Dad." Liv's voice was flat. "Whether you like it or not.  
  
* * *  
  
The last performance went wonderful. No one missed an entrance, everyone   
remember their lines, and Faye felt fine.   
Faye got more than a few congratulations when she walked out of the Scene Shop. She   
smiled a thanks, and looked for Brook. She spotted him talking to Sasha and Cassie over by   
the pop machines. She was just heading towards him when someone stopped her. Faye   
turned towards the person and her eyes widened in surprised.  
"Liv?"  
  
* * *  
  
Brook cracked his back. "I am NEVER going to be in a play again," he stated.  
"Why not?" Cassie said, putting two quarters in the pop machine.   
"Too hard."  
"Oh, come on! You're a good actor!" Sasha insisted.  
"Uh-huh. And Andy Griffith is really Pippi."  
  
* * *  
  
"You went to the Prodigy concert last night?" Liv snarled. "I don't fucking believe that!   
You know I was dying to go to that!"  
"I'm sorry, it's just-"  
"Just that I'm too fucked up to hang around?"   
"NO!" Faye insisted.  
"Yeah, that's it!" Liv growled at her. "I was just not preppy enough to be with!"   
Faye put a hand on Liv's shoulder. "I can understand your being mad, but that's no   
reason-"  
"No, you DON'T!" Liv yelled, pushing Faye away. "You DON'T understand! No one does!"  
Faye watched Liv in horror as she pulled a shot gun from her jacket. Switching off the   
safety, tears began running down her face.   
Like fools, people began screaming and running around. Faye stood stock still,   
watching Liv as she pointed the gun at her best friend.  
  
* * *  
  
Brooklyn heard screaming.  
He jerked his head up and spotted Faye, who was staring at something. He followed   
her gaze and saw Liv, holding a pistol. He then followed the aim of the pistol back to Faye.   
"No," he whispered.   
"Red?" Cassie asked him. "What is it?"  
Brooklyn didn't give her an answer as he suddenly began running towards Liv. Cassie   
spotted the situation and she began running too, Sasha not far behind.   
A shot rang through the air.   
"NOO!" Brooklyn yelled as he watched Faye's body fly back and land. Blood welled up   
and began flowing over left shoulder. Brooklyn skidded in next to her and grabbed her hand.   
Cassie ran around to her other side and examined the wound.   
"Faye? Faye!" Brooklyn shouted.   
Faye's eyes opened to slits and she forced a painful smile. "It's my time, Brook. Even if I   
was in a hospital..." She coughed up some blood and Sasha ran off to call 911. "It's too late for   
me." She closed her eyes again,  
"Faye?" Brook asked uncertainly.   
"Stop Liv," Faye mumbled weakly. "Don't let her hurt anyone else. Don't let her hurt   
herself..."  
"Faye, no!" Brooklyn shouted. When no response came, he shook her hand. Her arm   
simply flopped around lifelessly.  
Brooklyn shook his head in disbelief. Faye was dead. Cassie let out a sob.  
Another shot rang through the air. Brooklyn snapped his head over to Liv, who was   
shooting in random directions. The bullets weren't hitting anyone, but they were bound to   
sooner or later.   
~Don't let her hurt anyone else.~ Faye's final words rang through his ears. ~Don't let   
her hurt herself.~  
  
* * *  
  
Cassie opened her eyes and looked at Brooklyn. The look of mourning on his face   
turned into anger and determination. He closed his eyes for a solid second and as he opened   
them Cassie's own eyes widened.   
His eyes, glowing brightly with no pupil, he let out a terrifying inhuman sound that got   
everyone's attention. He put his hands on his face and he doubled over in pain. Two maroon   
wings burst out of his back. Two of his fingers fused together and they became sharp and   
pointed as his skin became a rusty crimson red. The mouth started protruding from his face,   
becoming sort of beak-like. His feet became bigger and he began standing on his toes. As the   
tail grew out, he reared up and let loose another terrifying roar.   
Stretching his wings, he smiled a toothy smile. His eyes still glowing a bright white, he   
stood up to his full height and looked at the terrified Liv.   
  
* * *  
  
Sasha skidded back into the cafeteria only to notice two things - Faye was lying still and   
Cassie was crying, and there was a large red gargoyle standing near them wearing Brook's   
clothes.   
Wait, what was that?  
A _GARGOYLE?!_  
Sasha's mouth dropped open. Her rational mind quickly pieced something together.   
The gargoyle was wearing Brook's (ripped) clothes and had the same shocking white hair. And   
the eyes were the same...  
~Brook is a gargoyle?!~  
  
* * *   
  
Brooklyn stood calmly in front of a shaking Liv. She lowered her gun and stared at him.   
"Oh, fuck..." she whispered. "What..."  
Brooklyn reached out and grabbed her gun. He crushed it with one hand, never taking   
his eyes off of her face. Liv gasped and turned to run.   
The move caught Brooklyn off guard, and she had a good head start off of him.   
Fortunately, Sasha stepped in her path.   
"Move, bitch!" Liv snarled at her. Liv threw a well-aimed punch, but Sasha easily   
sidestepped it and grabbed her arm, throwing her over her shoulder. Liv gasped as the wind   
was knocked out of her.   
Brooklyn's eyes widened as he suddenly recognized why Sasha looked so familiar.   
Brooklyn caught up to them, and he picked Liv with one hand. Walking back, he threw   
her against the fence surrounding the cafeteria. He then tore off the piece of fence she was   
leaning on and wrapped her up in it effortlessly.   
It couldn't of been more then two minutes after Liv had pulled the gun.   
  
* * *  
  
Brooklyn had checked on Cassie with Faye. Although tearstreaked and crying, Cassie   
was calm. He left, not wanting to have a run-in with the police. He glided back to the castle,   
and surprisingly, Angela, Lex, and Broadway were all out on the parapets. Angela noticed him   
first.   
"Hey, Brooklyn, you're back!" Angela cried happily. They all ran up to him, all smiles.   
Noticing his melancholy expression, their faces turned to concern.   
"What's wrong?" Lex said.   
Brooklyn simply turned away from them. "I don't want to talk about it," he said softly,   
walking into the castle. He cloaked his wings with his head down.   
He walked into his room and quietly shut the door. He sat on the window seat, looking   
at the moon for several minutes. He finally sighed and said softly, "I'm sorry, Faye." He looked   
down. "I failed you."  
  
* * *  
  
The clan was trying to figure what could be bothering Brooklyn when Xanatos walked   
in.   
"I saw Brooklyn come back," he said. "I noticed he was back to normal."  
"I don't think he's quite normal yet," Broadway said.   
Cassie walked in with a tight and drawn face.   
"You're the second person to look like that tonight!" Lex exclaimed. Cassie simply   
walked over to the couch and sat down, curling up.  
"Just turn on the news," she said softly.  
Goliath reached down and clicked on the television.   
"-numerous classmates reported that one of the students turned into a gargoyle and   
stopped Olivia Smith after Faye Jackson was brutally shot. People say that Jackson and Smith   
were close friends, until tonight. Also reported was that Jackson and the 'gargoyle' had been   
close the past few weeks. For those of you just joining us, I repeat that a Manhattan high   
school student is dead, shot by a fellow student. The-"  
Goliath quickly turned off the TV. He looked over towards Cassie, who had her head   
buried in a pillow. Her body shook with silent sobs.   
  
* * *  
  
Faye was dead.   
Brooklyn had moved from the window to his bed. He lay on his back and stared at the   
ceiling, absently fingering the necklace he wore around his neck. It was a silver pendant, sign   
of the Early Hatchers, he knew. He simply woke up one evening to find it on him. He had worn   
it ever since.   
Faye was dead.   
And he didn't stop it from happening. And he could have - had he been a gargoyle.   
That's why he turned back. He could've stopped Liv.  
The scene kept playing over and over in his mind. He didn't see the gun go off, but he   
saw Faye fly back. Her words had been true, except for one thing - it wasn't her time.   
Faye was dead.   
~I want Faye alive,~ Brooklyn thought for the hundredth time. ~I want the shootings at   
school to be a bad dream. I want Faye back...~ He closed his eyes, trying not to cry.   
Faye was dead.   
God, he would give up his life, his sanity, his very EXISTENCE if it would bring Faye back.   
But nothing could bring her back. Not suicide, not wishing for it, not magic... not even a   
gargoyle could bring her back. He would never see her again.   
A tear was rolling down his cheek. He couldn't believe it.   
He was crying.   
"Faye..." he whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't save you." He cloaked his wings   
tighter around himself, trying to stop himself from shaking. "Forgive me." His voice ended in a   
barely audible tone.   
Far in the distance, a star glimmered in Faye Jackson's memory.  
  
* * *  
  
Sasha shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around her.   
Faye was gone, like her brother and sister.   
Except her brother a sister were alive. Faye was gone.   
She wiped another tear away, recalling the events of the night. She didn't understand   
how Faye, the happy bubbly person, was just gone. Just dead.   
Her foster father walked in with a cup of coffee. He handed it to her, and she sipped it   
carefully. He sat down next to her on her bed.   
"Sasha, if there is anything I can do..."  
"You can leave me alone."  
Her "father" sighed and stood up. He turned back towards her. "Look, I know nothing   
could really make you feel better right now, but-"  
"Please, just go away."  
"I found something on you brother and sister." Sasha jerked her head up, spilling her   
coffee on herself. She jumped up, ignoring the burning.   
"Where?" she immediately asked.   
"Guatemala. It was last summer, but it was a definite. That means I can trace their   
headings to where they are now."  
"How long would it take?"   
"A few weeks."  
Sasha smiled and gave her foster father a welcoming hug. "Thank you," she whispered.   
"For everything."  
  
* * *  
  
Elisa sat in her couch, watching the news. Goliath had called her and told her what had   
happened. The broadcast was still playing, and would probably be playing until well after 3   
o'clock in the morning. She shook her head, remembering her own experience with guns.   
Except it felt worse when it was done on purpose, as opposed to an accident, even when you   
didn't know the person who was shot. Cagney rubbed against her, purring. Elisa stroked her   
cat, frowning.   
Cagney suddenly began hissing loudly. He leapt off the couch and slid underneath it.   
"Cagney?" Elisa asked.   
A sudden heat swept through the room. Elisa jerked her head up and heard a high-  
pitched whining. A globe of fire formed in the middle of the room, burning brightly.   
The Phoenix Flame dissipated, and Elisa gasped at the figure standing in her living   
room.   
  
End (kinda...)  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Copyrights (that aren't mine, used without permission, sorry bout that...) I tried to put them in   
the order they show up in. :)  
  
"Scream," "The Evil Dead," "Army of Darkness," The Lost Boys," and "The Rocky Horror Picture   
Show" are all movies, and copyrighted by their rightful owners.   
  
"Letter to a John" by Ani DiFranco, album "Out of Range," coyrighted 1994  
  
"God Bless the Gargoyles" by Pinkwater (I think)  
"Unwanted" (I read this in a bookstore, and I can't remember who wrote it!)  
  
"Fuel" by Ani Difranco, album "Little Plastic Castle," copyrighted 1998 (this is really funny - me   
and a friend of mine suddenly start singing this spontaneously for no reason, just like in the   
story!)  
"Prodigy" is a band. I couldn't decide what concert they should go to, so I asked a friend to give   
me a random group, and that's what he came up with. "Smack My Bitch Up" is the only song I   
could remember the title of.   
  
* A note about some of the scenes in here:   
  
Some of these scenes have actually taken place in my school. For instance, Faye's schedule is   
based on my freshman year (cept I wasn't in the play. :P) I DO have orchestra 1st period, and I   
play viola. :)   
  
Another example is the running into the door thing. That really happened to me, and I had a   
head injury, a possible minor concussion. I ALMOST fainted at an Anti-Flag concert the next   
night, but a friend got me to sit down in time.   
  
The word "fuckable" is a word used by a few friends of mine. I, personally, don't use it often   
(ahem, never). 


End file.
